Mr. and Mrs. Fournier, in their eighties, decided to quickly get rid of an item found in the attic and entrusted it to an auction house, which resold it to an unknown buyer for 4.2 million. This is a rare 19th century Ngil mask made by the Fang people of Gabon
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
PARIS – The deal of the century will remain this one. The dealer who bought an African mask for 150 euros and entrusted it to an auction house that resold it to an unknown buyer for 4.2 million can keep the profit, the valid sale. And the octogenarian couple, Mr. and Mrs. Fournier, who decided to quickly get rid of the item found in the attic, will neither be able to repossess it nor receive any compensation. The court in Als, southern France, ruled that the mask's former owners, an 88-year-old retired employee and his 81-year-old wife, had turned to a second-hand goods dealer to get rid of the garbage that had accumulated in their home. Holidays in the Gard, have shown no care in assessing the correct historical and artistic value of the property. According to the French judge, they were not deceived, they were reckless and therefore only had themselves to blame.
Their negligence and carelessness meant that the application for annulment of the sale could not be granted, the judgment continued.
The carved wooden mask was among the items recovered from the attic. The second-hand dealer bought it for 150 euros, along with other items such as a spear, a knife and some musical instruments.
The dealer then contacted an auction house in Montpellier, which examined the object: it turned out to be a rare 19th-century Ngil mask made by the Fang people of Gabon, one of about ten in existence in the world, which was probably acquired around 1917 by Ren-Victor Edward Maurice Fournier, French colonial governor and ancestor of the 88-year-old.
The dealer denied knowing that the mask was so valuable. But the auction house also gave a greatly underestimated initial valuation: around 300,000 euros, which the used dealer offered the couple as proof of their goodwill. However, they did not accept this and preferred to sue him. He then withdrew the offer of 300,000 euros and continued with the auction. Final price 4.2 million euros, from which the commission for the auction house is deducted. However, it is still a huge win.
If you have such an object at home, you should be a little more curious before giving it away, said Patricia Pijot, the dealer's lawyer. And he did not mislead the sellers because he had no specific knowledge of African art, the court confirmed in its ruling.
The case of the mask then became even more complicated when the Republic of Gabon filed a criminal complaint for receiving stolen goods, demanding the cancellation of the sale and the repatriation of the mask. However, the court also declared Gabon's application inadmissible.
However, the Fourniers have said they will appeal and Gabon could also insist on further trial. At the moment for the used dealer, who wins across the board.
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December 19, 2023 (modified December 19, 2023 | 6:54 p.m.)
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